Part 10

3. Another ground for encouragement is the character of the Chinese that are now in California. They have the mind and disposition of the mother country; nothing less, not much more. And what kind is that? We answer, it is that which created and still keeps the most ancient literature in existence. It is that which worked out for itself most of the inventions that made the fifteenth century remarkable in Europe, but more than a thousand years before. It is a mind and spirit that has obeyed, and does now obey, the fifth commandment more thoroughly than any nation upon the earth; that educates formally but more widely than any other people. It has had the tenacity and recuperative power to hold on to its ancient seats while Babylon was rising and falling; while Greece was coming to the zenith and sinking behind the Western horizon; while Rome was growing and dying; while mediæval Europe was going through its changes, and modern nations were being born and attaining their growth. All this time it has held on. What think you of the natural capacity of a soil that has produced such results, that has such staying power? It has lain long fallow, but let the process of breaking up their exclusiveness go forward; let the Gospel, not as a destructive force, illustrated by brick-bats and cannon-balls, but as a quickening power made beautiful to their eyes by the kindness and sympathy of those who profess its truths, be brought to bear upon them like the sun-light; and what harvests of righteousness shall not that great field bear for enriching the Redeemer’s kingdom!

The soil here or at home has not lost its native force nor its receptive power. Yung Wing, picked up by a missionary in the streets of Canton, converted by the faithfulness of one of the mothers of New England, sent to Yale College, where he stood among the first in his class, especially in English composition, returning to his own land to reach one of the highest places in the government, and now leading one of the greatest educational enterprises in the world, and Jee Gam as a disciple and a preacher, are but illustrations of what this soil, found among the common ranks of the Chinese, is capable of producing.

The twelve thousand dollars saved by the Chinese of California out of their hard-earned wages, and sent to the sufferers from the yellow fever in the South, proves that the common sentiments of our humanity are still surpassingly strong in them. The numbers and faithfulness of those who have joined the churches prove that they are susceptible to the influences of the Gospel, while the very tenacity with which they cling to their old faith but proves the toughness of the fibre that may some day be employed to conserve the interests of the Redeemer’s Kingdom.

4. Again, we may gather courage from the experience we have already had in conquering difficulties. If this was the first difficult matter the American Christian people had ever faced, we might expect them to be puzzled by its intricacy or appalled by its magnitude; but it is not, for from the moment our fathers planted their feet upon these shores, we as a people have had to face obstacles and to overcome them. A color-line, black as night, lay in the way of citizenship, education, and Christian labor, but we have crossed it, and we can cross the yellow line as well.

5. Again we may take courage from the very strait and necessity to which we are brought. When God brings His people down to the sea, and all ways are shut up, and still His voice and command are to go forward, we know that the waters of the sea will be divided, and we shall go over dry-shod and singing songs of victory beyond. We cannot shut out the one hundred thousand Chinamen now here, nor prevent others coming. We cannot go back to the old Chinese policy of exclusiveness, neither can we permit them to remain as a foreign element, unsubdued by our institutions or our religion. Only one thing remains, and that is to subdue them by the power of the living Saviour brought to them by patient, loving, faithful Christian hearts and bands. Brethren all, _shall this be done_?

6. And last of all, I mention the moving forward of Christian thought and Christian feeling in this direction.

When the plan was devised to exclude the Chinese, and the President vetoed the bill, the Christian public upon the Atlantic coast waked up to the importance of the matter. They opposed his action, they began to look at this immigration in its true light, to see in it a grand opportunity, and to lay their plans to avail themselves of its advantages for the cause of Christ. The greatness of the work is touching the imagination; its difficulty is awaking a spirit of heroism, and it is believed by many that we stand upon the threshold of one of the grandest missionary movements, one of the grandest crusades that the world has ever seen. Asia, that once responded to the call from the West, “Come over and help us,” is now herself uttering the cry, and the Christian world will not long be insensible to her voice.

In view of the importance of this work in California among the Chinese, involving the interests of that great nation beyond the Pacific, involving the good name of Church and Redeemer, involving as we believe the perpetuity of our institutions: in view of the encouragements afforded in God’s word, endorsed by His providences, by the excellent elements found in the Chinese character, and by the trophies already gathered; in view of the very necessity that is laid upon us, and the quickened attention of the churches toward that people, what is your answer, Christian brethren, to the practical questions: “Can the Chinese of California be conquered for Christ? Can the waters of that wide-spreading river flow to them here, and beyond to the continent of Asia, and shall they do it? Can the work be done? Will you do it?” These are the questions for this time, made solemn as the closing hour of your deliberations, councilings, and prayers.

I look along the ages, and all is changed. We no longer sit here in the darkness, the dust, and the noise of the conflict, but stand upon the Heavenly heights above. The world, in alternate shade and sunshine, rolls at our feet, and its song, the song of salvation, pulses up to our listening ears. Both the question that is here asked, “Will you do it?” and the answer, which I see in your looks you are giving, “By God’s grace we will!” are mingled with the sounds of the far past, and in their place rises the word, half song, half benediction, “Glory to God! we have done it.” To those high seats we are moving; for that good word we are working and waiting.

RECEIPTS

FOR SEPTEMBER, 1880.

* * * * *

MAINE, $152.54.

Augusta. John Dorr, $15; Deacon Joel Spaulding, $5 $20.00 Bangor. Hammond St. Cong. Ch. 100.00 Hampden. Cong. Ch. 6.86 Hallowell. M. E. W. 0.50 North Bridgton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 7.00 Norway. Second Cong. Ch. 18.18

NEW HAMPSHIRE, $894.39.

Acworth. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 14.85 Atkinson. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 6.00 Bristol. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 3.22 Brookline. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 10.00 Concord. “A Friend,” 1.00 Derry. First Cong. Sab. Sch., $20, _for Student Aid, Talladega C._;—First Cong. Ch. and Soc., $15 35.00 Durham. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 8.00 Fitzwilliam. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 28.50 Gilmanton Iron Works. Cent. Charitable Soc. of Cong. Ch. 7.50 Goffstown. Mrs. Mary A. Stinson 5.00 Haverhill. Eliza Cross 2.00 Hillsborough Centre. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 3.00 Keene. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 79.86 Mason. Ladies, _for Wilmington, N. C._ 7.50 Meredith Village. Cong. Ch. to const. MRS. IRENE SMITH, L. M. 30.00 Merrimack. Cong. Ch. 17.65 Milford. ESTATE of Mrs. Rhoda B. Hutchinson, by Rev. E. H. Greeley 400.00 Mount Vernon. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 12.24 Nelson. Dea. A. E. W. 1.00 New Boston. Levi Hooper 100.00 Pelham. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 32.37 Pittsfield. “A Friend,” 3.00 Reed’s Ferry. Miss H. McM. 0.50 Rindge. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 1.75 Swanzey. Miss M. W. 1.00 Thornton’s Ferry. Mrs. E. R. and Mrs. H. N. E., 50c. ea. 1.00 Warner. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 23.12 Westmoreland. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 7.33 Wilton. Second Cong. Ch. 52.00

VERMONT, $1,844.55.

Burlington. Sarah Parker 2.00 Chester. “A Friend” 15.00 Cornwall. Mrs. C. Ellsworth 2.00 Bridport. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 18.00 Coventry. Moses C. Pearson 5.00 Danville. Cong. Sab. Sch. 10.00 Dummerston. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.06 East St. Johnsbury. Cong. Ch. and Soc., $22.50; Mrs. S. L., 25c. 22.75 Enosburgh. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 17.00 Grafton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 12.00 Jamaica. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.00 Montgomery Centre. Heman Hopkins 3.00 Morrisville. Mrs. Hannah E. Bailey 2.00 North Craftsbury. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 23.00 Pittsfield. Cong. Ch. 12.00 Ripton. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.42 Royalton. A. W. Kenney 10.00 Saint Johnsbury. “Friends of Missions” 1,000.00 Saint Johnsbury. North Cong. Ch. 230.00 Saint Johnsbury Centr. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 2.25 Sheldon. Cong. Ch. 5.07 Springfield. “A Friend,” $200; Mrs. F. Parks, $100; Cong;. Ch. and Soc., $28 328.00 West Dover. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.00 Westminster. “A Thank Offering” 1.00 West Salisbury. Mrs. Esther Spencer 5.00 West Wardsborough. Mrs. T. W. 1.00 Woodstock. Hon. Frederick Billings 100.00

MASSACHUSETTS, $3,469.30.

Amherst. Mrs. R. A. Lester 50.00 Amesbury. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 12.00 Ayer. Mrs. C. A. Spaulding 50.00 Barre. Cong. Ch. and Soc., $24.07, and Sab. Sch., $29.54; Evan. Cong. Sab. Sch., $21.26 74.87 Bernardston. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.50 Boston. Miss E. P. 0.50 Boston Highlands. Highlands Cong. Ch. and Soc. 76.24 Brimfield. Ladies’ Charitable Soc. Bbl. of C. and $2 _for freight, for Savannah, Ga._ 2.00 Brocton. Porter Evan. Ch. and Soc. 21.70 Brookfield. Evan. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 60.00 Brookline. Harvard Cong. Ch., $84.84; Wm. H. White, $10 94.84 Cambridge. Geo. F. Wade 25.00 Cambridgeport. Pilgrim Cong. Ch., Mon. Con. Coll. 8.06 Charlton. Cong. Ch. and Soc., $14; Clarissa Case, $5 19.00 Chelsea. Anna F. Page, $5; Mrs. A. E. P., 50c. 5.50 Dorchester. Second Cong. Ch. and Soc. 1,112.94 Douglass. Rev. W. W. Dow 5.00 East Hawley. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 7.25 East Wareham. M. F. & J. H. Martin 10.00 Enfield. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 45.00 Georgetown. “A Friend” 10.00 Grantville. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 69.29 Great Barrington. A. C. T. 1.00 Greenfield. Jeanette Thompson 5.00 Holland. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 9.00 Holliston. H. B. 1.00 Lancaster. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 46.32 Lexington. Hancock Cong. Ch. 2.59 Malden. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 38.02 Marlborough. Union Cong. Ch. and Soc. 56.00 Medford. Mrs. E. L. Cummings, Bbl. of C. and $2, _for freight, for Talladega, Ala._ 2.00 Melrose. Orth. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 40.31 Middleborough. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 8.41 Milford. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 38.40 Monson. E. F. Morris 50.00 Newbury. First Cong. Sab. Sch. 10.75 North Andover. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 60.00 North Brookfield. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. ad’l to const. REV. S. P. WILDER and MRS. JENNIE WATSON WILDER, L. M’s 50.00 North Chelmsford. Second Cong. Ch. and Soc. 29.00 North Hadley. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 4.56 North Reading. Cong. Ch. and Soc., Mon. Con. Coll. 4.00 Norton. Trin. Ch., by “E. B. W.,” $100; Cong. Ch. and Soc., $5.50 105.50 Orange. Mrs. E. W. M. 1.00 Petersham. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 3.20 Reading. Bethesda Cong. Ch. and Soc., $151.42 ($100 of which _for Student Aid, Atlanta, Ga._,) Bethesda Cong. Sab. Sch., $25 176.42 Rockland. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 75.00 Rockport. Cong. Ch. and Sab. Sch., _for Student Aid, Talladega C._ 40.00 Salem. Tabernacle Sab. Sch., $20, and Infant Class, $14, _for Student Aid, Talladega C._ 34.00 Sandwich. Mrs. Joseph French 5.00 Sherborn. “A Friend” 3.00 South Hadley Falls. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 20.00 South Weymouth. Second Cong. Sab. Sch., Miss Grover’s Class, _for Student Aid, Atlanta U._ 7.00 Springfield. Mrs. A. C. Hunt 5.00 Sudbury. Ladies Miss. Soc., B. of C. and $2.50 _for freight, Atlanta, Ga._ 2.50 Taunton. Winslow Ch. 29.00 Templeton. Trin. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 8.22 Topsfield. Charles Herrick 20.00 Upton. Miss M. E. C. 1.00 Walpole. Mrs. C. F. M. 1.00 Waltham. R. C. 1.00 Wayland. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.00 Worcester. David Whitcomb, $600, G. Henry Whitcomb, $100 700.00 Worcester. Salem St. Cong. Ch. 6.41

RHODE ISLAND, $45.56.

East Providence. Cong. Ch. 20.56 Providence. Dea. W. S. King, $20, G. H. Dart, $5, _for Talladega C._ 25.00

CONNECTICUT, $2,414.86.

Berlin. Second Cong. Ch. 20.95 Cheshire. “A Friend,” $20; Cong. Ch., $18.94 38.94 Chester. Cong. Ch. 50.57 Eastford. Cong. Ch. 10.00 East Hartford. First Ch. 20.00 East Windsor. First Cong. Ch. and Soc. 9.00 Ellington. Cong. Ch. 51.55 Farmington. Cong. Ch. Quar. Coll. ($50, of which from H. D. Hawley, and $3 _for Woman’s Work for Woman_) 112.04 Franklin. Cong. Ch. 14.18 Griswold. Cong. Ch. 40.00 Gurleyville. Second Cong. Ch. and Soc. 5.74 Hanover. Cong. Ch. 17.98 Hartford. Newton Case, $100, _for Talladega, C._;—Dr. John R. Lee, $45 145.00 Lisbon. Cong. Ch. 2.81 Mansfield Centre. Mrs. S. M. Dewey, $25; Mrs. B. Swift, $10; Mon. Conn. Coll., $4; _for Talladega C._;—H. D. R., $1 40.00 Meriden Centre. Cong. Ch. 18.00 Monroe. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 6.00 New Haven. E. Pendleton 15.00 New London. First Ch. 83.94 North Woodstock. Rev. F. V. Tenney 5.00 Norwich. ESTATE of Samuel C. Morgan, by Lewis A. Hyde, Ex. 73.71 Norwich. Park Cong. Ch. and Soc., Weekly Offering (bal.) 186.99 Plainfield. Cong. Ch. and Soc. to const. MARGARET E. KINNIE, L. M. 33.75 Preston City. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 31.00 Salisbury. Mrs. M. M. B. 1.00 Saybrook. Cong. Ch. 10.11 Scotland. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 10.00 South Glastonbury. Cong. Ch. 5.26 Southport. “A Friend” 50.00 Thomaston. Cong. Soc. 19.92 Vernon. Mrs. E. P. Hammond 10.00 Wallingford. Cong. Ch. 45.35 Watertown. ESTATE of Jeremiah Barnes, by A. M. Hungerford, M. D., Ex. 100.00 Wauregan. Cong. Ch. and Soc. 13.00 West Hartford. Charles Boswell 250.00 West Winsted. Second Cong. Ch. and Soc. 18.07 Winsted. “Friends” 50.00 —— “A Friend,” _for Talladega C._ 500.00 —— “A Friend” 200.00 —— “A Connecticut Friend,” _for Talladega C._ 50.00 —— “A Friend” 50.00

NEW YORK, $709.61.

Amsterdam. S. Louise Bell 5.00 Brooklyn. Miss M. E. Horton, $5, Rev. S. B. Halliday, bundle of books and newspapers 5.00 Cortland. Mrs. E. B. Dean 5.00 Ellington. Mrs. H. B. Rice 10.00 Gerry. Mrs. M. A. Sears 128.36 Gloversville. Mrs. L. H. 1.00 Granby Centre. J. C. Harrington 10.00 Hamilton. Mrs. S. K. Bardin 5.00 Harlem. “J. D.” 300.00 Morrisville. Dea. A. B. DeForest, _for Talladega C._ 26.00 New York. C. T. Christensen, $25, Robbins Battell, $20, _for repairs Talladega C._;—“A. P. D.” $10 55.00 Orient. Miss H. M. W. 1.00 Owego. Rev. E. B. Turner, two packages of religious newspapers Seneca Falls. Cong. Ch. “A Friend,” 50.00 Sherburne. Homer C. Newton, $11, Mrs. Fanny Rexford, $10, _for Talladega C._ 21.00 South Edmeston. “Three Friends,” _for Talladega C._ 3.00 Syracuse. M. W. Hanchett, $25; Rev. J. C. Holbrook, D. D., $10 35.00 Union Valley. Wm. C. Angel 10.00 Westmoreland. First Cong. Ch. 4.25 ——. “A Friend” 25.00 ——. “A Friend” 10.00

NEW JERSEY, $35.60.

Chester. First Cong. Ch. 19.60 East Orange. G. A. T. 1.00 Elizabeth. First Cong. Ch. 5.00 Newark. Mrs. Abby White 5.00 Paterson. P. Van Houten 5.00

PENNSYLVANIA, $176.89.

Hulton. Coll. U. P. Ch., $20, W. W. Grier, $10.77, _for Student Aid_ 30.77 Philadelphia. Central Cong. Ch. 143.72 Sewickly. “E. H. T.”, _for Woman’s Work for Woman_ 0.40 Worth. John Burgess 2.00

OHIO, $458.24.